🦅 Secretarybird vs Wolverine 🐾
The secretarybird and the wolverine are about the same size. The wolverine weighs about 6 times as much as the secretarybird.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Secretarybird | 🐾 Wolverine |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 35 in to 3.9 ft90 cm to 1.2 m1 | 31 in to 4.3 ft78 cm to 1.3 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The wolverine weighs about 6 times as much as the secretarybird. | 5.1 to 9.4 lb2.3 to 4.3 kg1 | 20 to 66 lb9 to 30 kg2 |
| Lives The secretarybird usually lives about 3 times as long as the wolverine. | 19 years19 years1 | 5 to 7 years5 to 7 years2 |
| Eats The secretarybird eats meat; the wolverine eats plants and animals. | insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes | anything from small eggs to big hoofed animals |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara | cold mountain forests, tundra and open grassland in the far north |
Which one? Secretarybird or wolverine
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the secretarybird or the wolverine yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Secretarybird vs Wolverine
- The secretarybird: A tall African bird of prey that walks a long way each day.
- The wolverine: A tough, shaggy mountain animal that lives in cold northern places.
- They are different kinds of animal. The secretarybird is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs; the wolverine is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The secretarybird and the wolverine are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- The wolverine weighs about 6 times as much as the secretarybird. That is 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the wolverine.
- The secretarybird usually lives about 3 times as long as the wolverine. Usual lifespans: 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the wolverine.
- The secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes. The wolverine eats anything from small eggs to big hoofed animals.
- The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. The wolverine lives in cold mountain forests, tundra and open grassland in the far north. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The secretarybird: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The wolverine: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦅 Secretarybird
- A secretarybird walks a long way on foot each day.
- It has very long legs for a bird of prey.
- It can fly well, too.
🐾 Wolverine
- A wolverine belongs to the weasel family.
- Its food runs from small eggs to big hoofed animals.
- It lives in cold forests and open tundra in the far north.
Questions kids ask about Secretarybird and Wolverine
Which is bigger, secretarybird or wolverine?
The secretarybird and the wolverine are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, secretarybird or wolverine?
The wolverine weighs about 6 times as much as the secretarybird. That is 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the wolverine.
Which lives longer, secretarybird or wolverine?
The secretarybird usually lives about 3 times as long as the wolverine. Usual lifespans: 1 for the secretarybird and 2 for the wolverine.
What do secretarybird and wolverine eat?
The secretarybird eats insects and small mammals, and sometimes birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and snakes. The wolverine eats anything from small eggs to big hoofed animals.
Where do secretarybird and wolverine live?
The secretarybird lives in open savanna, grassland and scrub across Africa south of the Sahara. The wolverine lives in cold mountain forests, tundra and open grassland in the far north. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, secretarybird or wolverine?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/secretarybird-vs-wolverine
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Sagittarius serpentarius (secretarybird), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Gulo gulo (wolverine), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.